meantime assailed
the Roman tents, but was hurled back by the men guarding them. Hanno
abandoned his camp and made good his escape to Heraclea. Hannibal then
formed a plan to escape as runaways from Agrigentum by night, and
himself eluded observation; the rest, however, were recognized and
were killed, some by the Romans and many by the Agrigentinians. For
all that the people of Agrigentum did not obtain pardon, but their
wealth was plundered and they themselves were all sold into servitude.

On account of the winter the consuls retired to Messana. The
Carthaginians were angry with Hanno and despatched Hamilcar the son of
Barca in his stead, a man superior in generalship to all his
countrymen save only Hannibal his son. [Sidenote: B.C. 261 (_a.u._
493)] Hamilcar himself guarded Sicily and sent Hannibal as admiral to
damage the coast sections of Italy and so draw the consuls to his
vicinity. Yet he did not accomplish his aim, for they posted guards
along both shores and then went to Sicily. They effected nothing
worthy of record, however. And Hamilcar, becoming afraid that his
Gallic mercenaries (who were offended because he had not given them
full pay) might go over to the Romans, brought about their
destruction. He sent them to take charge of one of the cities under
Roman sway, assuring them that it was in course of being betrayed and
giving them permission to plunder it: he then sent to the consuls
pretended deserters to give them advance information of the coming of
the Gauls. Hence all the Gauls were ambuscaded and destroyed; many of
the Romans also perished.

After the consuls had departed home Hamilcar sailed to Italy and
ravaged the land and won over some cities in Sicily. On receipt of
this information the Romans [Sidenote: B.C. 260 (_a.u._ 494)]
gathered a fleet and put one of the consuls, Gaius Duillius, in
command of it, while they sent his colleague, Gaius[16] Cornelius, to
Sicily. He, neglecting the war on land which had fallen to his lot,
sailed with the ships that belonged to him to Lipara, on the
understanding that it was to be betrayed to him. Through treachery it
had fallen into the hands of the Carthaginians. When, therefore, he
put into Lipara, Bodes the lieutenant of Hannibal closed in upon him.
As Gaius[17] made preparations to defend himself, Bodes fearing the
Romans' desperation invited them to discuss terms. Having persuaded
them to do so he took the consul and military tribunes, who supposed